College Policy on Academic Integrity and Dishonesty Before you even begin working on this paper, you need to read, understand, and agree to follow college policy on academic integrity. Find it here: http://www.gaston.edu/student-code-of-conduct/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2014/04/Academic-Dishonesty-Policy.pdf

If you violate college or course policy, as outlined in the syllabus, Gaston College Student Code of Conduct, or this assignment description you WILL receive a score of 0 for the assignment and a referral to the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Gaston College. This includes any and all offenders (both those who copied and those who were copied from). I have a zero tolerance policy on academic dishonesty. You will be submitting this paper to Blackboard via software that compares it to other student papers, online sources, and journals.

College Policy on Academic Integrity and Dishonesty Goals

1. To become familiar with finding and reading primary literature.
2. To practice writing scientifically.
3. To enhance knowledge about research methodology.
4. To better understand animal biodiversity and life history.

Style:

1. Between 3-4 FULL pages in length (just because you have a few words on the 3rd page does not mean it is 3 pages long). Use 12pt Times New Roman font, normal (1î) margins, one space between words and sentences, no blank lines between paragraphs, left-justified and indentation on the first line of paragraphs, 1.5 line spacing.
2. Use in text citations according to the citation guide located in Blackboard (right below where you downloaded this document). You must cite EVERY single time that you use information that is not straight from your head or common knowledge. This means that you may have several sentences in a row with a citation. That is OKAY! Do it.
3. In science you never, ever, ever use quotations. You must paraphrase or describe information from your sources, but never quote it. Likewise, you should have no more than 3 words in a row the same as your source. If you copy a significant string of words straight from your source you have plagiarized (see academic dishonesty section above). Paraphrase!
4. Avoid slang, casual language, and fluffy words. Do not ever mention your feelings or emotions in the paper. Use your sources as an example of what to do. You will never read a peer-reviewed article that speaks in passive, fluffy language. I know your English class wants you to be descriptive and poetic, but that kind of writing has no place in science. Be concise, specific, and scientific. Make statements, back them up with research/evidence, and then move on.
5. What NOT to do: ìI really like elephants so I decided to write this paper on how elephants find water in the African savannah. Elephants are super cool because they can smell water up to three miles away.î
6. What TO do: ìAlthough elephants have a keen sense of smell, as evidenced by their ability to sense water up to 3 miles away (Smith et al. 2012), they pale in comparison to catfish, which can detect some chemicals at 0.1ppb (Jones & Johnson 2011).î
7. Include a ìWorks Citedî at the end of your paper. Use the citation guide found on Blackboard for help citing and creating a works cited. This is NOT MLA or APA format. When you publish in biological journals you always use the style of the journal, not the humanities/social sciences formats (MLA/APA), and unfortunately these vary by journal. The citation guide Iíve provided to you is a generalized style. This part of your paper does not count toward your length requirement.

Tasks:

There are two major checkpoints for this paper, though you should be working on it throughout. (CHECK DUE DATES ON COURSE SCHEDULE).

1. Choose a species, find 3 peer-reviewed (primary research) articles on your topic, create an outline, and send all documents to instructor for approval prior to writing.
2. Choose a EUKARYOTIC species for your paper. This species should be something that interests you and is well researched. If you choose an obscure animal that scientists have not researched much, you will struggle in finding enough articles to fuel your paper.
3. Find 3 peer-reviewed research articles that involve your species as the study organism. The trick here is finding resources that are peer-reviewed. Read this: (http://www.angelo.edu/services/library/handouts/peerrev.php) Your best option for finding articles is on Google scholar. (www.google.com/scholar) Be sure to use the articles where a link to the full document is available. In the picture below, the ones with a link to the right of the listing are ones with the full document available. Click on the link to the right of the article to download it. I will not accept any sources that you do not have the full document for.
4. Create a basic, informal outline for your paper. This outline should include a working title, a very brief (2 sentences) summary of each article you plan to use, and the major arguments (along with evidence to back up these arguments) that you plan to make.
5. Submit your outline and a PDF of all three of your articles to the appropriate Blackboard link by the due date listed on the course schedule. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE.
6. Name each document as follows (using your own last name, ex. Mays):
7. lastname BIO 112 SP2017 Term Paper Outline
8. lastname BIO 112 SP2017 Term Paper Article1
9. lastname BIO 112 SP2017 Term Paper Article2
10. lastname BIO 112 SP2017 Term Paper Article3
11. Hereís an example of one using my last name:

Mays BIO 112 SP2017 Term Paper Outline

1. I will respond in Blackboard to approve your outline and articles and give feedback. Please look for feedback before proceeding to the writing portion of your assignment. You do NOT have to wait until the due date to get startedóif you want to submit it early and receive feedback faster, just send me an email to let me know youíre early and ready to proceed.
2. Writing, working with the Gaston College Writing Center, editing, submitting to Blackboard.
3. After receiving approval of your outline, you may begin writing your paper. Please follow the style guide above.
4. Once you have completed a rough draft, you must submit it to the Gaston College Writing Center (http://www.gaston.edu/writing-center/) at least once. The writing center will inform me when students have received help. I would suggest saving documentation of your interaction with them as evidence in the case of any disputes.
5. Make any necessary changes to polish your draft. Ensure that your paper meets the style requirements outlined in the ìStyleî section above.
6. Submit (upload) the final draft to the Blackboard link on the course homepage by the due date found on the course schedule.
7. Name each document as follows (using your own last name, ex. Mays):
8. lastname BIO 112 SP2017 Term Paper Final

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